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Embracing trustee roles: My journey towards community impact
The chair of the CIPR Not-For-Profit Committee says that joining a board of trustees is a great way to refine your leadership skills
Fifteen years ago, my partner and I made a big move from central London to a quaint village on the edge of the Cotswolds. Having previously navigated the transition from my childhood home in the USA to Britain shortly after university, I was prepared for culture shock, particularly around social connections and community. In the American south, joining the local church is a common way to meet new people in small communities, so I set out one Sunday to our village church, eager to make some local connections.
What I encountered was a stark contrast to the church culture I had known. The congregation was smaller, the age profile skewed older, and while the medieval building was beautiful, it was also cold, dark, and had a poor sound system. While I did meet people, they were often the parents and grandparents of my peers rather than people in my own age group. However, after a couple of visits it became obvious they needed volunteers for various things. While I initially signed up for a few small things, within two months I was co-opted onto the Parochial Church Council (PCC), marking my first experience as a trustee.
Learning and development
I found myself in a new role that was both challenging and enlightening. At that time in my career, I was like a sponge, absorbing and learning about all things governance, finance, and organisational management related. Serving on the PCC proved invaluable to reinforce what I was learning elsewhere. The church was grappling with significant financial challenges and lacked modern professional systems and processes. I led the development of a proper budget, financial forecasts, and our first operating plan, aligning our resources and income with our objectives. By the time I stepped down after six years, including four as church warden, we had strengthened the church’s financial position and established sustainable operations.
One interesting quirk of being church warden is that while I was in office, I had the legal responsibility for the entirety of the churchyard and the medieval building including its contents. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to owning a castle – but for this American it was kind of like a fairytale come true!
Skills of a trustee
My volunteer role as a trustee allowed me to apply my professional skills in a practical context. It was a unique opportunity for leadership, preparing me for future responsibilities in the corporate world. The PCC experience taught me to balance strategic thinking with practical action. Although our church’s turnover was modest compared to private companies, the skills I honed were transferable across various sectors.
Fast forward a few years, and my journey led me to a trustee role with the LGBTQ+ Project in Norfolk, a charity that provides compassionate mental health support to the LGBTQ+ community by those with lived experience. I applied for this position because they specifically needed expertise in communication and marketing. Over the past two years, we have successfully navigated a rebranding process, addressed reputational challenges from social media, and developed a robust strategy that has significantly boosted engagement within our local community.
While my focus has been on communications, our board has collectively tackled organisational strategy, cybersecurity, and financial planning. I take immense pride in the fact that our charity has nearly tripled its grant funding turnover during my tenure. The LGBTQ+ Project serves a vulnerable community in a largely rural area, and ensuring its sustainable future is deeply important to me.
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Enrichment and confidence
Being a trustee has profoundly enriched both my career and personal life. It bolstered my confidence when I needed it most, reinforcing the value of my skills beyond my day job. Most of my professional roles over the last decade have been in the not-for-profit sector, where I thrive in mission-driven environments. I find personal and professional fulfilment knowing that my efforts contribute to making the world a better place.
Early on in my career, I thought that becoming a director or being on a board would be something I would only happen after many years, when I had significant seniority. Perhaps, if I am thinking about a corporate board, that may be the case. The turnover is often higher, the risks can have a wider impact, and they are often more closely tied to your job. However, working with charities, and smaller organisations gave me the opportunity to develop and apply my skills far faster than I would have in my day job had I waited for the opportunity to join a board there. Now that I have held senior roles and have more years of experience, I feel far more confident when it comes to governance and strategy, and so maybe professional boards aren’t that far away anymore.
If you’re considering becoming a trustee, I encourage you to find an organisation that resonates with you. Reach out to them and inquire about any vacancies. The worst they can say is no, but the best outcome could be your first step onto a board, where you make a meaningful impact.
Chartered PR John Clegg is an internal comms expert, the founder of Whirlybird Comms and chair of the CIPR Not-For-Profit Committee. A Fellow of the CIPR, John is also a panellist on the committee’s Trustee Week event and is carrying out research for the CIPR Research Fund.